Intended for

Academics, researchers, and graduate students.

Prerequisites

First-year Master or PhD level in econometrics and macroeconomics, including a good understanding of dynamic optimization.

Overview

This course focuses on the theory and empirics of economic growth. The class will follow a micro-to-macro approach and hence special emphasis will be given to firms and inventors to uncover the determinants of aggregate productivity growth. In addition to some classic papers, the class will mainly focus on recent research. Students will be encouraged to discuss the frontier topics in class and produce new and exciting research ideas.

Topics

Stylized Facts of Economic Growth and Development
Schumpeterian Models, Quality Ladders and Creative Destruction
Models with both Horizontal and Vertical Innovations and Firm Dynamics
Factor Misallocation & Reallocation
Firm Dynamics in Developing Countries
Step-by-step Innovation Models with Strategic Interactions
Business Dynamism
Models with Search Frictions
Inventors
Environment and Directed Technical Change
International Trade and Innovation
Inequality, Taxation and Innovation

Ufuk Akcigit is the Arnold C. Harberger Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago. He is a Senior Research Fellow at Brookings Institute, an elected Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, Center for Economic Policy Research, and the Center for Economic Studies, and a Distinguished Research Fellow at Koc University. He has received a BA in economics at Koc University, 2003, and Ph.D. in economics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2009.

As a macroeconomist, Akcigit’s research centers on economic growth, technological creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship, productivity, and firm dynamics. His research has been repeatedly published in the top economics journals, cited by numerous policy reports, and the popular media.

The contributions of Akcigit’s research has been recognized by the National Science Foundation with the CAREER Grant (NSF's most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty), Kaufmann Foundation's Junior Faculty Fellowship, and Kiel Institute Excellence Award, among many other institutions. In 2019, Akcigit was named the winner of the Max Plank-Humboldt Research Award (endowed with 1.5 million euros and aimed at scientists with outstanding future potential). In 2021, Akcigit was awarded the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship and was named a Fellow of the Econometric Society. In 2022, he received the Sakip Sabanci International Research Award and the Kiel Global Economy Prize.